[realmassy]

I have to opportunity to buy one of these headphones (well.. Christmas is near!), but I'm not sure which one will better suit my ears. Currently I have a k701 with a LD MKV (I also have a cheap Rega Ear), and honestly I'm happy with that, but I'd like to try something different. I only listen to jazz, strictly acoustic, and I'm not a basshead, but still I like it tight and controlled. K340s are probably on top of my list (many nice reviews), but I'm worried the LD will not drive them properly. I'm also open to other ideas, and the budget is around £200 (something more if new).
Massimiliano

 

[Adda]

Good question, these are probably the best affordable AKG phones of all time.
The K240DF is easy to buy at a bargain price and is the most neutral of the ones you list.
The DF's sound great with the mkV.
Unfortunately I can't comment on the others.

 

[realmassy]

Thanks Adda. Actually I could grab a pair of K240DF on German ebay at a nice price. Thanks for the suggestion. One more headphone that I'm interested in is the ATH W-1000 (used at £175): the only Audio Technica I owned was an ad700, and I really enjoyed it.

 

[franatium]

I have the K340s and they are beasts to try and drive so the LD mkV might have a bit of trouble really getting them to open up. Great cans though if you can amp them well enough.

 

[realmassy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by franatium /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the K340s and they are beasts to try and drive so the LD mkV might have a bit of trouble really getting them to open up. Great cans though if you can amp them well enough.

What do you use to drive them?

 

[franatium]

I used them straight out of my Xonar STX which was woefully underpowered and more recently I got a friend to make a banana plug to 6.5mm female jack adapter so I can power them directly out of my receiver which recently changed from a yamaha RX-V461 to a pioneer VSX-D2011

 

[wang228]

W1000 is much more colored than either K340 or K501. They it before you buy. I like both K340 and K501 and frankly can't say which is better. K501 is lighter and more comfortable though. I've never tried K240DF.

 

[XXII]

IMO, the K340 is by far the best of the three if modded but as people have mentioned they are tough to drive well. I've owned the HD800, W5000, AD2000, D2000, HF-2, GS-1000, ... and the only dynamic can I have left is the K340. That should tell you how good they are

 

[realmassy]

XXII, thanks for sharing your opinion.. really appreciated! Any suggestion for the amp? I really don't want to use a receiver or a speaker amplifier... What do you think of the LD MKVII? It seems to be one of the most powerful head amps out there, and it's balanced, so there's space for a future recable I really like LD products: they're fantastic value for money, but obviously I'm open to different ideas.

 

[Adda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by realmassy /img/forum/go_quote.gif XXII, thanks for sharing your opinion.. really appreciated! Any suggestion for the amp? I really don't want to use a receiver or a speaker amplifier... What do you think of the LD MKVII? It seems to be one of the most powerful head amps out there, and it's balanced, so there's space for a future recable I really like LD products: they're fantastic value for money, but obviously I'm open to different ideas.

The mkVII is only as powerful as it's specs show when it's running in balanced mode.
In single ended mode it's not particularly powerful, I think it's only 1/4th as strong as in balanced mode, if I remember correct.

 

[realmassy]

You're right Adda, good point. This could narrow the choice between the 240DF and the 501.

 

[sizwej]

I've owned all three as well as the MK V.You can forget about pairing the k340 with the MKV, it doesnt have nearly enough juice to drive them.Between the K240Df and K501, i prefer the 501 but by a small margin.The 240DF is probably the more neutral of the two, but the 501's super huge soundstage, and seductive midrange wins the day for me.

At the end of the day its all about personal preference.If i were making an unbiased recommendation for someone, then i would suggest the 240df, as their flat/neutral nature make them suitable for many genres.My personal preference is the 501, because it's sound signature suites me better (treble spike, massive soundstage, very detailed midrange).

 

[realmassy]

It looks like I couldn't go wrong with either of them! Maybe I can buy both and then sell the one I like less...or the K701 :-D

 

[sizwej]

Quote:

Originally Posted by realmassy /img/forum/go_quote.gif It looks like I couldn't go wrong with either of them! Maybe I can buy both and then sell the one I like less...or the K701 :-D

You cant go wrong with either.As for the K701... well i've owned it too, while i dont think it's as bad as some make it out to be, to my ears it was easily eclipsed by the K501.I'm no expert at describing sound, but there was something very unnatural about it.from what i remember, the low end was fine, but the midrange seemed a little "off" and the treble seemed a little too exaggerated to me.

 

[XXII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by realmassy /img/forum/go_quote.gif XXII, thanks for sharing your opinion.. really appreciated! Any suggestion for the amp? I really don't want to use a receiver or a speaker amplifier... What do you think of the LD MKVII? It seems to be one of the most powerful head amps out there, and it's balanced, so there's space for a future recable I really like LD products: they're fantastic value for money, but obviously I'm open to different ideas.

The MkVII might work but it's hard to say without trying first. I run it balanced from my singlepower squarewave. You should also consider the AKG Sextett, it's a lot easier to drive than the K340 and is better than your other two choices as well as the K701 IMO.